63.66 lakh names deleted, 60 lakh under 'adjudication' as SIR redraws WB's electoral map ahead of assembly polls

Kolkata, Feb 28 (PTI) In a sweeping electoral reset barely two months ahead of West Bengal Assembly polls, around 63.66 lakh names, nearly 8.3 per cent of the electorate, have been deleted from the state voter list since the SIR began in November last year, reducing the voter base to over 7.04 crore and sharply redrawing constituency arithmetic across the state.

Under the post-SIR rolls, published by the Election Commission on Saturday, 60.06 lakh electors have been placed in the "under adjudication" category, their eligibility now subject to judicial scrutiny in the coming weeks, a process that could further recalibrate constituency-level equations.  The first intensive revision of the electoral rolls since 2002, the SIR, a 116-day statewide exercise, began as a technical revision exercise, but soon crystallised into a defining political moment —one that has numerically and symbolically redrawn Bengal’s electoral battlefield before a single campaign rally for 2026 is formally flagged off.

The draft rolls published on December 16 had already pared down the electors from 7.66 crore at the beginning of the Special Intensive Revision to 7.08 crore, deleting over 58 lakh names on grounds of death, migration, duplication and untraceability. Following hearings and disposal of claims and objections, another 5,46,053 deletions were recorded through Form-7 applications, taking the total SIR-linked omissions to around 63.66 lakh.

"Over 58 lakh enumeration forms were not received during the revision process, including cases of deceased, shifted and duplicate electors," Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal said at a press conference here while announcing the figures.

More than 1.82 lakh electors were added through Form-6 and Form-6A submissions, partially offsetting the deletions, though officials indicated that marginal changes could still occur as fresh inclusions and objections continue to be processed.

Around 60.06 lakh names have been kept "under adjudication", largely due to what officials termed "logical discrepancies" in enumeration forms, Agarwal said. These electors remain on the rolls pending decisions.  Of the 7.08 crore draft electorate in December, around 1.52 crore were marked for hearings, 31,68,426 classified as "no-mapping" voters with whom linkages could not be established with the last SIR in 2002, and the remaining 1.20 crore flagged for discrepancies. Hearings were conducted for nearly 1.42 crore voters.

After document verification, the Commission agreed with Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant EROs in 82 lakh cases. From this pool, about eight lakh names were found ineligible and deleted due to non-appearance or failure to establish eligibility.

Chief Electoral Officer’s officials clarified that if the final roll shows a voter’s status as "Deleted" and the individual believes it to be erroneous, a fresh application can be filed through Form-6. After due verification of documents, the name may be restored to the rolls.

Earlier in the day, a senior official in the Chief Electoral Officer’s office told PTI that total deletions could rise to 66 lakh, cautioning that final numbers may still fluctuate as further inclusions and objections were still being processed.

Beyond headline figures, constituency-level data underline the extent of the shake-up.

In Bhabanipur, represented by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, 47,094 names have been deleted, 44,786 at the draft stage and 2,324 more in the final list, while over 14,000 electors remain "under adjudication". The deletions are roughly 11,000 fewer than Banerjee’s 2021 bypoll victory margin of over 58,000 votes, a comparison that has inevitably fuelled political chatter.

Nadia district, bordering Bangladesh and central to debates over migration and citizenship, recorded around 2.73 lakh deletions. The electorate declined from 44.18 lakh at the start of SIR to 41.45 lakh in the final rolls, after dipping to 42,02,261 in the draft.

Bankura saw a net reduction of about 1.18 lakh names. From 30,33,830 voters in November, the draft rolls showed 29,01,009; the final figure now stands at around 29.15 lakh.

North Kolkata, comprising seven Assembly constituencies currently held by the TMC, witnessed around 4.07 lakh deletions, including 3.9 lakh at the draft stage and another 17,000 in the final publication. The scale of fresh inclusions in the zone is yet to be officially ascertained.

Alipurduar registered 1,02,835 deletions, with 11,96,651 names featuring in the final rolls.

In Hooghly, the electorate dipped from 47,75,099 at the beginning of the process to 44,40,293 now, reflecting a total deletion of 3,34,806 names, while 1,73,064 voters remain under adjudication.

In the Bangaon subdivision, the SIR fallout has triggered sharp reactions from Matua leaders. TMC MP Mamatabala Thakur alleged that "90 per cent names" from Matua-dominated pockets had been deleted and warned of street protests.

The churn has been particularly sensitive among the Matua community — a decisive Dalit Hindu refugee bloc influencing 40–50 Assembly seats across North 24 Parganas, Nadia and parts of north Bengal.

For the BJP, which consolidated sections of Matua support after 2019 on the plank of citizenship assurances under the CAA, the SIR exercise triggered unease in refugee pockets, with protests erupting over fears of deletions and mandatory hearings.

The TMC alleged that "harassment in the name of SIR" had reached extreme levels and warned of agitation if valid voters were struck off.

"The full, filthy extent of the BJP and EC’s silent, invisible rigging now stands exposed before Bengal's eyes. Is the Election Commission wearing blinders, unable to spot flesh-and-blood voters, or is this a vanishing act to rig the game for the BJP?" TMC leader Arup Chakraborty said.

The BJP dismissed the charge, asserting that parties must contest elections on the basis of finalised rolls.

"SIR is simply a routine exercise to clean up the voter list. The TMC has been relying on dead and duplicate voters to hold on to power. TMC has already begun its post-SIR manipulation plans because its political survival depends on defrauding the electorate," Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said.

The Election Commission maintained that the SIR was a statutory clean-up to ensure a "pure and error-free" roll ahead of a major election.

Yet, beyond rhetoric lies arithmetic. In the 2021 Assembly elections, several seats were decided by margins of a few thousand votes. In border districts such as Nadia and North 24 Parganas, and in tribal and urban belts, demographic churn and migration patterns have historically influenced booth-level outcomes. A swing of even 2,000–3,000 voters in a closely fought constituency can alter the result.

For the ruling TMC, which swept north Kolkata in 2021 and consolidated gains across large parts of south Bengal, deletions in urban pockets and border districts are being assessed against turnout patterns and organisational depth.

For the BJP, which emerged as the principal opposition with significant inroads in north Bengal, Junglemahal and border belts, the adjudication of over 60 lakh names presents both risk and opportunity in constituencies where margins were slender.

With the Assembly polls drawing closer, the SIR has effectively become the first structured battle of the campaign fought not with rallies but with forms, hearings and booth-level verification drives. Across districts, cadres are poring over printed rolls, identifying "missing" supporters and preparing appeals. In many places, the voter list itself has become the immediate battleground.

The final contours of the electorate will depend on the outcome of adjudication proceedings in the coming weeks. But even before the first rally for 2026 is formally announced, the post-SIR rolls have redrawn Bengal’s electoral map- numerically, administratively and politically. PTI SMY/PNT/SCH ACD BDC NN PNT